The next generation of storytellers
Last Sunday we had the pleasure of opening up the building to twelve young and emerging artists and four student filmmakers. We understand that there are limited opportunities for young people to show their work and meet other individuals from the creative community, so we wanted to open our doors to provide a space for creatives to share their talent, tell their stories, build their profile and grow their network.
We had an incredible response to our open call for young artists just before Christmas, and as always it’s a real shame we don’t have the resources to work with a bigger group of artists. The talent and passion that came through was just mind-blowing – across all art forms from music, writing and spoken word to visual arts, film and more.
The future of the arts is indeed in safe hands, but we have to make sure young artists are supported, nurtured and given opportunities to hone, develop and share their craft. That was the reason behind the Open Call – to give these 16-25 year olds an opportunity to have a short video made that they can then share anywhere they like, but also to meet other artists, and to be introduced to the Duncairn too. While we are a truly open and shared space, sometimes we need to make an extra effort to open the doors that little bit wider to invite people in!
For many of the artists, it was their first time in the Duncairn. The building was buzzing with songs, stories, illustrations and animations from 10 till 5, with three artist recording sessions happening simultaneously in different parts of the centre throughout the day.
The Open Call also gave us an opportunity to invite student filmmakers to work with three filmmakers and old friends to the Duncairn, Stan, Vincent and Conor, all coordinated expertly by head of the Duncairn production team, Rachel! Throughout the day film trainees assisted in everything from camera work, to interviewing to setting up lighting and checking sound/audio.
Rachel reflected on how it was “wonderful to watch these passionate young filmmakers hone their skills and gain invaluable insight into the art of storytelling through the lens. We were very lucky to have such incredible filmmakers as mentors to allow the students to gain experience working in a real-world setup, but in an environment that was safe to ask questions and learn…. What made the day even more special was the incredible talent of the young artists who served as our filming subjects.”
The first three artists to be recorded were poet Zara Meadows, flute player Megan Teague and singer-songwriter Mia Quigley.
The second morning session involved animator/artist Emily Weir, visual artist and illustrator Caroline Murphy and singer-songwriter Niamh Murray.
A well-deserved lunch break gave the trainees and mentors a chance to recharge their batteries (personal and technical!) and in the afternoon we recorded with singer-songwriter Anthony Layde, textile artist and musician Eimear Magee and traditional musician Peadar Connor.
Finally, the day was rounded off with performances by musicians Ryan Harling (Little Kings), Sarah Montgomery (Sarah Ann Rée) and Jack McGoldrick.
Once again in the words of resident filmmaker Rachel, “from dynamic shots to captivating performances and conversation, the collaboration between the mentors, students, and talented artists created such an incredible atmosphere and I hope we can deliver more days like this in the future.”
Maeve, our programming officer, felt the quality of artistry that came through on Sunday was “beyond what we could have imagined” and how inspiring it was to see the production team “come together and share their expertise with a new generation of filmmakers, from teaching them camera techniques to encouraging and easing the nerves of the young people attending.”
So watch this space – hopefully we can arrange more days like this that really showcase the power of mentorship and the next generation of storytellers!
Young filmmakers (L to R): Aoife, Jonny, Eoin and Julia
Huge thanks to our funders for their ongoing support in this vital work: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts and Business NI.
